Testing tool



W. N. SUTLIFF Jan. 3, 1967 TESTING TOOL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 12, 1964 WAYNE N. SUTLIFE I NVENTOR ATTORNEY.

W. N. SUTLIFF Jan. 3, 1967 TESTING TOOL Filed June 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet z AT TORNEY.

United States Fatent ()filice 3,295,667 Fatented Jan. 3, I967 TESTING TGOL Wayne N. Sutlilf, Bakersfield, Califi, assignor of one-half to Sutlilf-Downen, Inc., a corporation of California,

and one-half to Cook Testing Co., a corporation of Nevada Filed June 12, 1964, Ser. No. 374,685 9 Claims. (Cl. 166-226) This invention relates to oil well tools and particularly to testers utilizing the hydraulic delay principle to control the opening thereof. Certain tools operating on this principle and otherwise quite successful in deep well testing, are, under certain well conditions, subject to excessive delays in the opening of the tool valve caused by hydraulic locking.

It, is an object of the present invention to provide a test ing tool of this general type in the operation of which inordinate delays due to hydraulic locking are eliminated, while satisfactorily utilizing the hydraulic delay principle to effect a normal delay in the opening of the tool valve to receive the sample.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a testing tool including a bean flow reducer coupled with a hydraulic delaying means which opens the sample receiving valve suddenly, whereby cutting of the valve is prevented, while the rate of flow of the sample through the tester is adequately modulated by the bean.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention incorporated with a rat hole packer, and with the tool extended as when it is being lowered into position for performing a testing operation.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates said 'tool in its collapsed condition which occurs after the packer has been set and the tool telescopically collapsed by downward pressure of the drill string on the tool.

, FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 6a.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 6b.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 60.

FIG. .6 (6a, 6b, 6c) is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1, and drawn in three parts, and shows the various parts of the invention in their relatively extended relationship with each other.

FIG. 7 (7a, 7b, 7c) is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the invention taken on line 77 of FIG. 2 and drawn in three parts, and shows the invention with the parts thereof in relatively contracted relation.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the invention is there shown as comprising a testing tool 10 which is suspended on the lower end of a drill string 11 for lowering this into a deep well bore 12 having a smaller-diameter pilot bore 13 at its lower end producing a shoulder 14 at the juncture of said bores.

The tool 10 comprises an outer tubular mandrel 15 and an inner tubular mandrel 16 each of which is fabricated by a substantial number of elements, the inner mandrel being telescopically received within the outer mandrel from the lower end of thelatter so as to be almost entirely housed within the outer mandrel.

Starting at its upper end, the outer mandrel 15 has an upper sub 17 with which the lower end of drill string 11 connects and which joins at its lower and through threads 18 with the internally threaded upper end of a pressure equalizer housing 19. The lower end of this housing connects through threads 19a with the upper end of a retarder sub 20 which at its lower end is connected by threads 21 with a retarder housing 22. Connected by threads 26 to the lower end of retarder housing 22 is an intermediate sub 27, the lower end of which is connected by threads 28 to a spline sub 29 which is the bottom element of outer tubular mandrel 15.

At its upper end, the pressure equalizer housing 19 has a bore 30, in the lower end of which is formed a short counter bore 31 and a relatively long counter bore 32 is provided therebeneath. Retarder sub 20 has a bore 33 from which four radial equally spaced holes 34 penetrate to the outside of the sub.

The retarder housing 22 has a bore 35, near the upper end of which is provided a counter bore 36 which is blind at both ends. The housing 22 is drilled and tapped to receive a set screw 40 near the upper end of bore 35, a filler plug 41 near the upper end of counter bore 36 and a filler plug 42 near the lower end of bore 35.

The intermediate sub 27 has a bore 43 in its upper end which is grooved to receive an O-ring 44. The balance of the sub 27 has a relatively deep counter bore 45 from which two pairs of diametrically opposed holes 46 connect this counter bore with the exterior of the sub.

The spline sub 29 is provided internally with a pair of axial diametrically opposed seats 47 for the reception of spline keys 48.

Beginning at its lower end to describe the elements comprising the inner tubular mandrel 16, we start with a bean sub 49 which has an externally threaded pin end 50 at its lower end. This subhas an axial bore 55 having a counter bore 56 at its lower end for receiving a flow control been 57 having a restricted axial flow orifice 58 and'which is temporarily held in place in the sub 4-9 by a split ring 59.

At its upper end, sub 45 is connected by threads 66 to a male spline sub 61 having a bore 62 and diametrically opposed external spline key slots 63 which slidably receive the spline keys 48. At its upper end, sub 61 has a threaded counter bore 64 into which the threaded lower end of a lower retarder sleeve 68 is screwed, this sleeve extending upwardly into fluid tight sliding relation with the bore 35 in retarder housing 22, and its threaded upper end screws into a lower threaded socket provided in a retarder sleeve coupling 69. This coupling has an annular shoulder 70 extending outwardly from its lower end, a ground sealing face 71 being provided radially at the upper end of this shoulder. The upper end of coupling 69 is threaded externally to receive a nut 72 which confines a valve sleeve 73 and spring 74 trapped between said sealing face 71 and nut 72. As clearly shown in FIG. 4 a series of vertical grooves 75 are formed externally in the lower portion of coupling 69 above the shoulder 70, so as to allow ample passageway for liquid to by-pass the valve sleeve- 73 whenever it is lifted from engagement with the sealing face 71. When the valve sleeve 73 is held by spring 74 into an engagement with the sealing face 71, telescopic vertical relative movement between outer and inner mandrels 15 and 16 will be retarded in a manner to be pointed out hereinafter.

Screwed downwardly into the upper threaded socket provided by the sleeve coupling 69 is the threaded lower end of upper retarder sleeve 76 which is of the same diameter as the lower retarder sleeve 68 and extends upwardly through and into fluid tight sliding relation with the bore 33 of retarder sub 20 and upwardly out of said sub into the lower end of pressure equalizer housing 19. It is now desired to point out that the telescopic relation between the outer tubular mandrel 15 and the inner tubular mandrel 16 is between two outer limits of relative movement. FIG. 6 illustrates the inner mandrel 16 at the lowermost of these limits, whereas FIG. 7 illustrates said inner mandrel at the upper limit of such relative movement. Upper retarder sleeve 76 is provided with four equally spaced radial holes 77 which are directly opposite respectively the holes 34 in retarder sub when the inner mandrel 16 is at the lower limit of its relative movement as shown in FIG. 6a. Suitable annular external grooves are provided in sleeve 76 for multiple O-rings 78 and 79 which are located respectively above and below the holes 77.

At its upper end, upper retarder sleeve 76 is closed by a head 80 formed integrally therewith and the annular grooves are formed externally on this head to accommodate multiple O-rings 81.

Mounted within the pressure equalizer housing 19 with its lower end disposed a substantial distance above the upper end of retarder sub 20 is a pressure equalizer sleeve 83 the lower end of which receives with a sliding fluid tight fit the upper end portion of the upper retarder sleeve 76, and the upper end of which is provided with a solid head 34. As shown in FIG. 3 this head is of substantially smaller diameter than that of bore and has three legs 85 the ends of which snugly fit within said bore so as to centralize the sleeve 33 in the housing 19. Two of the legs 85 have blind axial holes 86 and the other leg 85 has an axial hole 87 which extends to the center of the head 84 where it connects downwardly with a pressure chamber 88 which is confined by the sleeve 83 between the heads 80 and 84. Tapped radial holes 89 are provided in housing 19 into which threaded pins 90, inserted through said holes and into the holes 86, maybe screwed to secure these in place. A tapped radial hole 91is also provided in the, housing 19 in alignment with hole 87, a threaded tubular pin 92 being extended through this hole and into hole STandjthen screwed into hole 91 to secure this in place. The tubular pin 92 has suitable external annular grooves for receiving O-rings93 to provide a pressure seal between said pin and hole 87.

Slidably fitting into the upper extremity of the bore.

35 in retarderihousing 2.2 is a metallic seal ring% which is secured in place by set screw 40 and is provided with suitable internal and external annular 'grooves for ac} commodating O-rings 97 and 98 which hydraulically sealoff the upper end of a'hydraulic retarder chamber 99, pro- ,7 vided by housing 22, and the lower end of which is sealedotf by O-ring 44 in intermediate sub 27.

The assembly ofthe testing tool 10 is completed by removal of the filler plugs 41 and 42 and the filling of scribed. 25

the chamber 99 with a suitable light lubricating oil,

after which these plugs are replaced;

The testing tool 10 is illustrated herein as being sup ported by connecting the upper end of outer tubular man drel 15 to the drill string 11. In various operations in which this tool may be'used for deep well testing, the

bean sub 49 is ordinarily connected to one of a largenum- 'ber of diflerent types of packers, and, for simplicity of illustration, the tool 10 is shown herein as being connected to a rathole packer 100 by screwing the head 101 of said packer to said sub. The customary practice, when using such a packer, is to provide this with a bull-nosed perforated anchor tubing 192 which may be used to carry a pressure recorder for recording variations in pressure occurring in pilotbore 13 during progressive stages of the test.

OPERATION While the testing tool 10 may be put to many different purposes and has wide utility, it will suflice for the pres ent purpose to describe how this is employed in running a typical simple formation test in a deep well.

Reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 6 to show the relative relationship of the parts of the invention while the same is being run into a well. These views show the inner mandrel 16 disposed at the lowermost limit which this has in its telescopic relation with the outer mandrel 15. FIGS. 2 and 7, on the other hand illustrate the invention with the inner mandrel 16 at the uppermost limit thereby. The imposition of thisweight is then continued.

to place the operating liquid in the hydraulic retarder chamber 99 under a very high pressure so as to force this liquid to by-pass the valve sleeve 73 by flowing Between. this sleeve and the bore ,35 of the retarder housing)? which it does at a relatively slow rate. This dashpot fea= ture is provided to make sure that the inner tubular inan= drel 15 will never be inadvertently caused to Shift from its relatively downwardmost position in the outer mark drel 15 to its relatively uppermostposition therein. The retarding action of the valve sleeve 73 also assures that the driller running the rig, may be absolutely certain that the packer 108 is properly placed in the well before the testing tool 10 is committed 'to consummating the testing operation being undertaken by the steps here .de-

It is to be noted, at this point in the description, that the well bore 12 is filled with rotary mud or some other suitable circulating liquid medium during this test, so that the tool 10 and drill string '11 are submerged in this mud throughout their introduction and withdrawal from the well bore 12. This circulating liquid is able to gain entry to the tool 10 through the perforations in the anchor tubing 192 as well as through the threaded tubular pin 92 through which'the pressure equaliz ing chamber 88 may be filled with this liquid. Limited admissions also occur through holes 34 in retarder sub 20 and holes 46 intermediate sub 27. The well liquid however is not allowed to gain admission to hydraulic retarder chain-- ber 99 so that the operating liquid with which the latter is filled is kept clean for repeated operations of the tool without any impairment of the efficienc'y thereof.

It is also to, be noted that the O-rings 78 and 79 pr vent the flow of wellliquid into the pressure equalizer. 7 housing 19 either from the retarder sub 20 or frorri th lower end of the pressure equalizer sleeve 83 while the parts of the tool arepositioned as shown in FIGSJ and As the drill string '11 and pressure equalizer housing 1 9 a are dry when the tool is run into the well, these remain dry until the downward pressure of the drill string on the A 'tool has been continued long enough to have caused the operating liquid in the upper portion of the chamber 9 91:0

by-pass the valve sleeve 73 into the portion of said cham 7 her below'said sleeve and has thus lowered the outer mandrel 15 relative to the inner mandrel 16, to where the upper counter bore 36 in retarder housing 22 has been lowered to entirely surround the valve sleeve 73.. This instantly terminates the retarding action of the valve sleeve 73 by allowing the liquid to freely pass down- Wardly'from the upper portion of the hydraulic chamber 99 into the lower portion thereof. Thus released from restraint, the downward pressure from the drill string. on the tool 10 causes this to shift the outer mandrel 15 rapidly downwardly to its lowermost position with relation to the inner mandrel 16 asshown in FIGS. 2 and 7.

This sudden release of the retarding action of the valve sleeve 73 takes place just as the four large radial holes 77 in the upper retarder sleeve 76 begun to be uncovered by the downward movement of retarder sub 20 so as to of the retarding action at this particular moment prevents the grit contained in the well fluid having a destructive abrasive action on the material of the upper retarder 3 sleeve 76 adjacent to the holes 77 as well as on the upper end of the retarder sub 20.

Another substantial advantage of the present invention is to be found in the pressure equalizing means confined within the pressure equalizer housing 19 and which maintains a practically equalized hydraulic pressure imposed downwardly and upwardly on the inner mandrel during ithe application of downward pressure on the outer mandrel for setting the packer and the opening of the valve provided by holes 77 for admitting well liquid from below the packer into the lower end of drill string 11. Not only is this equalized pressure maintained on the inner mandrel, but, contrary to the condition met within the operation of other well known testing tools, the opening of the testing valve in the tool does not .depend upon compressing a body of liquid trapped by the packer 100 in the pilot bore 13 of the well, and which ,frequently causes excessive delays in the operation of such .prior testing tools until the liquid trapped in the pilot bore is forced to recede into the formation to allow 'the consummation of the opening of the testing tool 'valve.

In the testing tool 10, entire reliance for retarding the .sample valve opening is placed upon the built-in retarding function supplied by the valve sleeve 73 and this is always uniform during successive operations of the tool.

The flow control bean 57 is of course selected for each operation of the tool 10 in accordance with the type of well liquid that the test is to be run in, and the orifice in this bean varies in size in accordance with difierences in this liquid. The function of the bean is to minimize the rate of flow of the trapped oil liquid through the testing tool into the lower end of the drill string when the test ing liquid valve of the tool is suddenly opened. The tool may be used with or without such a bean depending upon the conditions in which it is used.

While only a single embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in thiswithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an oil well tool, the combination of: inner and outer tubular mandrels, one end portion of said inner mandrel being closed and extending a substantial distance telescopically into one end of said outer mandrel, the other ends of said mandrels being connectible respectively with a drill string from which the tool may be suspended, and a tubular element which may be suspended from said tool for admitting liquid into the latter from a body of well liquid in which said tool is submerged; a sleeve provided in and entirely confined by said outer mandrel and fixed against end-wise movement therein, said closed end portion of said inner mandrel slidably extening into one end of said sleeve with a fluid tight fit therewith, the opposite end of said sleeve being closed; apertured means providing a fluid passage connecting said closed end portion of said sleeve with the space surround ing said outer mandrel, said outer mandrel having a bore substantially equal in diameter to that of said sleeve and with which said inner mandrel makes a fluid tight fit, and a primary counter bore which loosely accommodates said sleeve and provides a free liquid passage through which an axial flow of fluid in said outer mandrel may by-pass said sleeve; means preventing relative rotation between said mandrels; means limiting relative axial movement of said mandrels to movement between two extreme positions in the first of which the closed end of said inner mandrel extends only a slight distance into said sleeve and in the second of which the inner mandrel extends a substantial distance into said sleeve, there being port means in said inner mandrel which communicates freely with said counter bore when the inner mandrel is in said second position, there being port means in said outer mandrel which produces the communication between the exterior of said outer mandrel and said mandrel port means when said inner mandrel is in said first position.

2. An oil well tool as recited in claim 1 wherein hydraulic means is provided to retard axial relative movement between said mandrels from the first relative position to the second relative position of said mandrels and readily permit a return to said first position.

3. An oil well tool as recited in claim 2 wherein said hydraulic means includes a valve counterbore, blind at both ends, provided in said outer mandrel bore, to form a hydraulic chamber, an annular valve seat member fixed on said inner mandrel so as to be located at one end of said chamber when said mandrels are in said first position; an annular valve member located in said valve chamber and slidable axially on said inner mandrel into seating engagement with said seat member during relative movement of said mandrels from their first position to their second position to retard said movement, said hydraulic means including a body of liquid in said chamber and a free by-passage for said liquid, between said' valve member and said inner mandrel which is opened by said valve member withdrawing from engagement with said valve seat member during the reverse relative movement between said mandrels, returning the latter to their first relative position.

4. An oil well tool as recited in claim 3 wherein said valve counterbore has an auxiliary counterbore opposite that portion of said hydraulic chamber occupied by said valve member with said mandrels at their second relative position, said auxiliary counterbore terminating the retarding action of said retarding means just as said inner mandrel port means enters into communication with said first mentioned counter bore thereby speeding up the relative movement between said mandrels which concludes with said inner mandrel port means in full communication with said primary counterbore.

5. An oil well tool as recited in claim 1 wherein said sleeve provides a head at its closed end which has a plurality of equally circumferentially spaced legs extending radially therefrom into engagement with said outer mandrel there being aligned radial apertures in said legs and said outer mandrel; and a series of pins fitting into said alined apertures to fix said sleeve against axial movement relative to said outer mandrel, there being passage means in said head and in at least one of said pins to provide the aforesaid apertured means froming a fluid passage connecting the closed end portion of said sleeve with the space surrounding said outer mandrel.

6. An oil well tool as recited in claim 1 wherein said inner mandrel has at its open end a sub having a bean seat; a bean having -a selected axial orifice and resting in and making a fluid tight fit with said seat; and means for temporarily retaining said bean in said seat.

7. In an oil well tool the combination of a tubular outer mandrel having sleeve means therein fixed against endwise movement relative thereto, said sleeve means being open at one end and closed at the other end and having restricted passage means communicating between the closed end portion of said sleeve means and the exterior of said mandrel, ample lay-passage means being provided in said mandrel axially by-passing said sleeve means, said mandrel also having an axial bore aligned with said sleeve means and juxtaposed in spaced relation with the open end of said sleeve means and in communication with said by-passage means; and a tubular inner imandrel telescopically slidable within said bore and sleeve means with a fluid tight fit with each, the inner end of said inner mandrel being closed, lateral port means being provided in said inner mandrel which means is normally located within said bore and is adapted to be brought into communication with said by-passage means by relative axial movement between said mandrels which shifts said port means so as to expose the same between said bore and said sleeve means.

8. An oil well tool as recited in claim 7 wherein a dashpot means is provided in said tool for retarding said relative movement to impose a delay of predetermined length in consummating the same.

9. An oil well tool as recited in claim 7 wherein said relative movement is between two extreme relative positions of said mandrels, in the first of which said port means is located in said bore and is thus sealed off from communication with said by-passage means, and in the second of which, said port means is out of said bore and in communication with said by-passage means, and wherein a secondary passage means is provided in said outer mandrel which is effective in placing said port means in communication with the space outside said outer mandrel when said mandrels are in the first of their two aforesaid extreme relative positions.-

References Cited by the Examiner CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner J. A. LEPPINK, Assistant Examiner. 

7. IN AN OIL WELL TOOL THE COMBINATION OF A TUBULAR OUTER MANDREL HAVING SLEEVE MEANS THEREIN FIXED AGAINST ENDWISE MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, SAID SLEEVE MEANS BEING OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER END AND HAVING RESTRICTED PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE CLOSED END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE MEANS AND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID MANDREL, AMPLE BY-PASSAGE MEANS BEING PROVIDED IN SAID MANDREL AXIALLY BY-PASSING SAID SLEEVE MEANS, SAID MANDREL ALSO HAVING AN AXIAL BORE ALIGNED WITH SAID SLEEVE MEANS AND JUXTAPOSED IN SPACED RELATION WITH THE OPEN END OF SAID SLEEVE MEANS AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BY-PASSAGE MEANS; AND A TUBULAR INNER 